Indian Railways emerge title winners in Senior National Kabaddi

Indian Railways won the 72nd Senior Men’s National Kabaddi Championship by defeating Maharashtra 49-31 in the final at Vadodara. Led by Sunil Kumar, Railways dominated the tournament, overcoming 29 teams to lift the prestigious trophy.

Hyderabad: Indian Railways secured the 72nd Senior Men’s National Kabaddi Championship Trophy on Friday at the Sama Indoor Stadium, Vadodara after beating Maharashtra 49–31 in the final in Vadodara on Friday.

Railways – led by Sunil Kumar, the most successful PKL captain– prevailed over 29 teams divided into 8 pools, who played across 54 matches over the last four days.

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On their road to the final, the Railways beat the likes of Chandigarh and Karnataka before claiming their final victory over a strong Maharashtra side led by Aslam Inamdar, one of the top players in the Pro Kabaddi League.
The concluding day of the tournament featured four teams in action, starting off with two semifinal games played between Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, and Indian Railways and Chandigarh, respectively.

After beating their respective opponents in the semifinals, Railways and Maharashtra advanced to the finals, which were dominated by the former with a strong all-round performance. Pankaj Mohite led the raiding unit with 12 raid points, while Ashu Malik, who also led Dabang Delhi K.C. to victory in PKL 12, contributed eight points.
In the first semifinals earlier, Maharashtra registered a convincing 49–36 win over Uttar Pradesh. The team maintained control through most of the contest, with Aditya Shinde leading the raiding unit by scoring 12 raid points. Aslam Inamdar and Shivam Patare also complemented Aditya’s efforts by scoring 11 and 8 points, respectively.

The second semifinal between Indian Railways and Chandigarh ended in a 38–38 tie, with the former progressing to the final after registering a 7-4 victory in the tie-breaker. Ashu Malik, was the top performer for the Railways with 10 points, while Narender Kandola added another 10 points.